Zyllion ZMA-14-BK – One of the best electric massagers

Have you ever seen those massage chairs in airports and shopping malls that you can pay to use? You pop in a coin or two, then sit back and let the motors and nodes go to work, heating you and kneading out any knots or muscle tightness in the process. These can be fantastic tools for improving your sense of wellbeing and for helping you to relax and unwind. They’re perfect for airports where we are regularly stressed and rushed and ideal for shopping malls after we’ve been shopping on our feet all day!

But why pay to use these devices occasionally when you could spend a little more and take one home? And that way, you would be able to use them every single day if you so wished! Imagine coming home from a tough day in the office and then being able to use one of these! Or how about being able to strap it to the back of your car seat and actually get a massage while you’re on your way to work!
This is what the Zyllion ZMA-14-BK is all about. Not only is this a very affordable massage pillow you can take home but also a particularly portable and versatile device that you can use wherever you want it! (For more portability check out this comparison: Thumper mini vs Zyllion)

Is it right for you?

This massager by Zyllion is a pillow, meaning that it’s a small square that you can rest against. This is not a full body massage chair, or a tool you use in one hand but rather a small compact unit that can be thrown in a bag and used to support the back or the neck. It comes with a useful strap for fastening to a car seat or another seat at the desired height and has a very executive and slick black design.

In some other reviews, I’ve accused massagers of not being terribly slick looking. But this perhaps goes a little too far the other way. This is a completely black massager that does not look very comfortable at all. It’s also made from a firm material, rather than being comfortable to lean on. Put it this way: if you aren’t using the massage function, you’re unlikely to reach for this as a normal pillow!

The product also claims to be ergonomic but from our testing, we don’t see it. This is quite hard and has no groove for your lower back or neck. All in all, it is just a little too solid for our liking.

But that’s all mitigated by the excellent functionality. This has four nodes, which is more than most pillow massagers, and it also comes with heating functionality and a proper shiatsu, rotating motion. This is much more effective than some of the more basic vibrating massagers for instance.
What’s also a big help is the fact that this product is so slim at just 6cm. This means it will fairly easily slip behind you without feeling like too much of a bulge.

Pros and Cons

The big pro of this device is the quality. This is a very well made massager pillow and that’s clear right from the start. It’s also very slim and portable and the included car adaptor is a nice touch – though it is a shame that there’s not a built-in battery for the price.The downside is the firmness of the product, which isn’t to everyone’s tastes. It’s not that it’s terrible – it’s slim enough not to be easily noticed – but it just could be more comfortable. It’s also a bit of a shame that there’s just the one setting. That setting lasts 20 minutes, after which the device will shut off to prevent overheating. This in-built protection is good but the 20 minute session is a little limiting.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a very well made massager that gets great reviews thanks to the premium construction and great features. Having four nodes to provide shiatsu and heating is somewhat rare in a pillow form factor and the fact that this device is so slim is a real bonus. But just bear in mind that the product does need to be plugged in and that you may also find it a little solid.